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Working On Open Source Software

People get very confused about "contributing to the Free and Open Source Movement". Whether it is the FSF's view (GPL) or the contrary view (MIT, BSD, and derivatives), one has to recognize that once the repository is public, you lose CONTROL and, more importantly, bragging rights or claims to fame, riches, and glory. You contribute to "The Community" ... the commons that is FOSS.

Ignoring pseudo-FOSS "freemium" FOSS-washing of proprietary business models which are bad for FOSS and, IMHO, the industry overall, we are left with the personal value proposition of contributing to a FOSS project. There are two realistic motivations:

Personal motivation to contribute for your own reasons without expectations of private gain, and
Work for hire on a project known to be contributing your efforts to FOSS ("The Commons").

Working on the "freemium" proprietary software is as FOSS-honest as working on "open source licensed" projects for one of "The Bigs" and benefits the FOSS community little more than any other proprietary project. Working on real FOSS is either a labor of personal commitment to the FOSS community for its own personal satisfaction or a work for hire. No sense of making a Personal Investment for return, financial or reputational, is guaranteed when contributing to true FOSS. The heroes of the so-called Open Source Movement were all captive employees at the time of their major innovations or megalomaniacs with a mission.

We love the megalomaniacs with a mission (yes, Linus and others). But they become captive to the "Funders" who decide to help their further successes. Love for FOSS does not feed Linus and the family. His value to the community is compensated ... but it is important to ask by whom?

I am in a conversation with one who grossly misunderstands these dynamics. Sad.